Phillips 66 girls shine at meet

Wednesday

Nov 27, 2013 at 12:56 AMNov 28, 2013 at 12:38 AM

With Ginaphr Seat leading the way, the Phillips 66 Gymnastics Club danced, flew, twisted, somersaulted and powered to the top of the mountain of excellence during last weekend’s historic 48th Annual Phillips 66 Gymnastics Invitational.

With Ginaphr Seat leading the way, the Phillips 66 Gymnastics Club danced, flew, twisted, somersaulted and powered to the top of the mountain of excellence during last weekend’s historic 48th Annual Phillips 66 Gymnastics Invitational.

The prime-time event — likely the longest-running such of its kind in the United States — attracted approximately 850 girls from a three-state area (Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas).

None of them sparkled as brightly as Seat.

The Bartlesville High School junior swept to the highest All-Around championship (Level 10, 17-and-older), with a combined total of 35.2.

Seat captured the gold on three individual events — the vault (9.575), the beam (9.3) and the floor exercise (9.275).

She also finished fourth on the bars (7.05).

Several other Phillips 66 gymnasts seized All-Around championships in their respective divisions, in the USA Gymnastics competition.

Winkler and Gallagher also swept the top spot in all four individual events.

When it came to the Level 3 team championship, no one feigned surprise when Phillips 66 won, hands down, with 113.35 points. The Airborne team came in second, more than two full points behind.

"All the compulsory gymnasts did an amazing job," said Phillips 66 Level 3 head coach Rachel Ketcher. "This was the first USA competition for these girls and they competed like they had years of experience."

At Level 4, Phillips 66 finished second to Jenks Gymnastics.

Phillips 66 pulled past the Zone Twisters for supremacy at Level 5.

Phillips claimed its third team championship when it rolled to first in the Level 7 wars. Phillips tallied 111.775 points, while Jenks Gymnastics was next, at 109.6.

Phillips 66 Level 7 head coach Lorrie Bertolet stated "the Level 7 team competed great; this group has a lot of talent and I am looking forward to a great season and their future at Phillips 66 gymnastics."

Beyond the meteoric accomplishments of the local athletes, Phillips 66 Gymnastics Club program director Sam Barto praised the work of the volunteers and coaches during the meet.

"This was the biggest meet we’ve ever had. … We got amazing feedback from coaches, fans and competitors on how well the meet was ran and the hospitality presented them by the community and the Phillips 66 Gymnastics Club," Barto said. "As coaches, our staff was very pleased with how well our athletes did in the competition. They were very success in every age group and level. We felt like our team, with over 100 competitors, was overall very outstanding and the best team in the meet."

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In addition to the USA Gymnastics battles, the meet also featured a day of Tulsa Area Gymnastics competition.